Having the metal

Another year, another set of awards recognising the best new cars on the market.

Having the metal

13 December 2000

Another year, another set of awards recognising the best new cars on the market.

The millennium year (or the lead-up to it, depending on how your celebrations have gone) brought with it more than a few challenges for the Australian new-car market. The biggest impact came with the July 1 introduction of the GST, which saw many buyers withholding their purchases to snap up expected savings, which came through on most models.

Then there was the Olympics, yet another unknown quantity to put doubt into dealers' and buyers' minds.

On the whole, though, the market is shaping up to be one of the best, without breaking 1998's record volumes.

It was also a strong year for exciting new cars, with everything from a new Toyota baby car through to Porsche's awesome 911 Turbo. Both were winners in Drive's best cars of 2000, our award for the best cars we've driven this year. Unlike other awards, though, Drive recognises the best cars in each category, rather than the best cars released this year.

As a consequence, three of our winners from last year held their ground this year. The fact that seven conquered the previous best just goes to show how quickly the new car market is working to improve the breed.

Best Baby Car: Toyota Echo

It was a busy year in the baby car market, if not at least for the marketing push and repositioning made by many brands in an effort to hold station sales-wise. Hyundai unveiled its bigger, better Accent and Kia joined the fray with its Rio five-door, which in the process effectively saw the end of Ford's Korean-made Festiva.

One of the most significant newcomers was Toyota's Echo, which was far too pricey when it arrived, starting at $14,990 before you added air-con, one of the most basic of creature comforts, and on-road costs.

Since then, many other contenders have joined Toyota at the $14,990 price point and the Echo now regularly gets an offer of free air-con, making its premium ask all the more palatable.

On top of that, the Echo is the only one in its class with a variable valve timing engine to improve efficiency, as well as one of the best ride-handling compromises in a market segment that usually rates such abilities well down the scale of "must-haves".

Mitsubishi's Mirage may be getting on in life, but it still rates a close second in class.

Best Small Car: Holden Astra

It's taken a while for buyers to warm to the endearing qualities of Holden's small car, but it's now at the point where many people find themselves waiting weeks, even months, for delivery, such is the demand. And that's despite pricing that's not exactly red-hot. The Astra has a sweet, smooth engine, which is let down a little by a sticky manual transmission. Its ride and roadholding are ahead of everything else in the class. Even the interior layout exudes a prestige feel not normally associated with a small car. Second most definitely goes to Ford's Laser, and if you're tight on cash, it's a clear winner by offering a darn fine car for less than $20,000. Subaru's Impreza has been hailed as a marvel by Wheels magazine, but really it's not a huge advance over the old model, and is still pretty expensive for what you get. The gruff engine now has more bulk to haul from a bigger body and the whole car doesn't set any new standards. We're yet to drive a Hyundai Elantra, the replacement for the Lantra, on local roads, but we are not expecting anything outstanding given the lukewarm response from a brief first drive on the car's launch.

Best Medium Car: Subaru Liberty

While the medium-car category is slowly being eroded and attacked from both ends - small and large cars - it's a segment that to many people makes lots of sense, particularly if you don't need miles of space in the back seat. Of the choices, the Subaru Liberty offers the best package. No, it's not the cheapest, but it offers levels of refinement and composure that few cars can match for the money. It's well-built, comfortable and great fun to drive, thanks to its combination of 4WD and well-sorted suspension. Holden's Vectra is still a solid contender but a bit bland and down on value for money compared with the Liberty. Mazda's 626 is still a tad off the pace, and the Kia Credos, Hyundai's Sonata and Daewoo's Leganos simply can't match it with Subaru's Liberty, despite their obvious price advantage.

Best Large Car: Holden VX Commodore

Choosing the best large car is something that changes almost weekly. It only takes one manufacturer to offer a discount or a couple of grand worth of free fuel and suddenly theirs is best. That's why Mitsubishi's Magna has been such a sensible option recently with the deals being offered in a desperate attempt to hold sales. But our award this year goes to Holden's VX Commodore. Its blend of size, style and value for money makes it a winner, with pricing still very sharp for the amount of metal you get. That's not to say improvements aren't needed; the rear suspension is not ideal, the driveline could do with refinement and general quality is not up there with Toyota or Mitsubishi. Which brings us to Toyota's Avalon, the great new car that just isn't taking off in terms of sales, no doubt partially because it's one of the most boring, drab-looking cars on the market. That's a shame, because the Avalon is arguably a better car to drive than the Commodore while still offering decent value for money, and with some of the discounts it could easily be considered a winner.

Best People Mover: Honda Odyssey

The first Honda Odyssey was a ripper and the second one's even better. It is by far the easiest of the people movers to manoeuvre on the road and when parking. In fact, when it comes to roadholding and the way it drives, it's better than many passenger cars. On top of that, the Odyssey's now available with a V6 engine, as well as the 2.3-litre four-cylinder, both of which get variable valve timing. It's just ridiculous that the V6 has room for six people, only one more than most cars. Other notables in the class include Toyota's Tarago, which is the only one that holds eight people and features two sets of sliding seats to maximise flexibility. But with prices starting around $50,000, the four-cylinder-only Tarago is about 10 grand too expensive. For budget buyers, the Hyundai Trajet is the pick of the crop below 40 grand, and it even comes with a V6 engine. Chrysler's Voyager is heavy but competent, and with a new one due next year, it could be worth waiting for, either as a run-out deal or the new model.

Best Prestige Car: Mercedes-Benz C180

Last year, the Lexus IS200 impressed us most when it came to small prestige sedans. And yes, it's still a fine car, with a smooth six-cylinder engine, plenty of equipment and a ride-handling package that many prestige marques can only dream of. But this year, it's the new Mercedes-Benz C-class, in particular the most affordable C180, that takes the prize for the best prestige car. Unusually for a Benz, the entry-level model doesn't make you feel like you've bought it just for the badge by deleting basic items such as a CD player and even an adjustable steering column. The new C-class looks classy from inside and out. It also drives very well and offers class-leading levels of comfort. Combine that with plenty of standard features, a quality stereo and the sort of functionality Benz is known for and it's easy to see why the latest C-class is headed for success. Not surprisingly, though, the four-cylinder C-class is still no rocketship, its engine being the most disappointing part of an otherwise outstanding package.

Best Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S Class

There are many excellent luxury cars on the market, but the Mercedes S Class is the best of the lot. Its awesome blend of style, comfort and driving appeal - not to mention overflow of technology - make it irresistible, other than the price tag. Unfortunately, only a select few wealthy people will get to experience the smoothest-riding car in the world. Sadly, though, in a car costing close to a quarter of a million dollars, Mercedes still finds it in its heart to charge people extra for things such as satellite navigation, a phone and better, brighter xenon headlights. All things that are standard in many other brands of a similar price, such as Lexus and BMW. A close second goes to the BMW 5 Series, which years on is still the best of the mid-sized luxury contenders. Having just been updated, it promises to now be even better and is the best option for around $100,000.

Best Sports Car: Porsche 911 Turbo

A sports car is all about performance and fun, and few cars offer even a fraction of the fun this car can deliver, all the way to and beyond 300kmh. At close to $300,000, this Porsche is not a car that many will get to savor, but its stunning performance and superb handling ensures that it tops the sports car list. Combine these abilities with a coupe body that is compact enough to feel at home in the city and it also rates as the most practical supercar on the road. Coming back to reality. and it's the Nissan 200SX that wins in the "bang for your buck" category with this sweet turbo coupe taking over from the new WRX, which has fallen victim to middle-age spread. The 200SX offers drivers a subtle mix of turbo power, fine rear-drive handling, delicate steering and good brakes. A great drive.

Best Small 4WD: Toyota RAV4

Over the last few years Subaru, with its Forester, and Honda, with its CR-V, have set new standards for the compact off-road market that 10 years ago was spurred into life by Toyota's RAV4. Now the RAV4 has made a comeback, and in the process has scooped our award for the Best Small 4WD. The new RAV4 doesn't make any quantum leaps, other than being the first one in its market segment to include a variable-valve-timing engine for increased efficiency and flexibility. Add to that a bigger, better-thought-out body that also sets new standards in refinement and the RAV4 is a deserved winner. Perhaps the biggest disappointment is the price, typically not a Toyota bargain, and requires costly extras such as air-conditioning. Of course, the RAV4 is only a light-duty off-roader, which means you should choose wisely the roads you intend to tackle. If serious off-road ability is high on your list of priorities, then Suzuki's Grand Vitara, which gets a truck-like separate chassis and low-range gears, is still the top of our list in this category.

Best Large 4WD: Mitsubishi Pajero

Choosing the best large 4WD is not easy because it takes in so many vehicles, from the still-great Nissan Pathfinder all the way up to the 120-odd grand Range Rover. This year, though, the gong goes to one of the most impressive newcomers of all new cars, the Mitsubishi Pajero. The latest generation Pajero is a big step in rewriting what have essentially become "rules" in the serious off-road market. Gone are the truck-like steel chassis and live axles in favor of a monocoque body construction and independent suspension all round. In short, while the Pajero is still a big vehicle, it's a lot more user-friendly to drive on the road, where ultimately most of them end up. Off-road, it's still mightily impressive, not losing much in the way of ability in the translation to a car-like design. Toyota's LandCruiser and the better-value Nissan Patrol are still impressive beasts, but they make less sense when you consider the price of fuel these days. Also worthy of a mention is the excellent BMW X5, which apart from being extremely heavy at 2.2 tonnes, does just about everything right. Great V8 engine, well decked out and brilliant on-road handling to top it off.